MUCH HAS BEEN written about the conflict in the Middle East but few people really understand the complexities of the situation.
There is not one simple answer but somehow, in the world of politics and propaganda, simplifying is the name of the game.

In advertising, this is called the USP – Unique Selling Proposition.
Advertisers understand that if you want to change a significant number of peoples’ behaviors fast, you should focus on one single USP, repeating it over, and over, and again, and again. It has to be short and catchy and it should be emotional.

Tagging Israel as an “apartheid state” is just such a USP that disregards the difference between the South African native population and the Palestinian population.
South Africa, under apartheid rule, was a country that was ruled by a minority to the detriment of the majority of its citizens.

The state of Israel is a democracy that is ruled by the majority of its citizens including the 1.6 million Israeli Arabs who enjoy full democratic rights.
Palestinians living in Gaza might want their plight to be seen as a result of Israel’s existence but it is in fact autonomous and self-ruled and therefore, logically, there is no sign of apartheid here either.
That leaves the Occupied Territories that are not legally a part of Israel but are under Israeli government.
It is 100% true that the Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories do not enjoy the civil rights that their brothers enjoy in Israel or in Gaza since they are neither Israelis nor are they Gazans.
These people are living on land that is disputed and for which no agreement has yet been reached between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Of course, none the above can help the Palestinians to gain supporters to help their cause. Too much information, too complicated, too tiresome.

In advertising, this is called the USP

It is much easier to show pictures of hurt/dead babies (many of which are fake) or by calling for a boycott on Israel.
This is a simplistic message that is easily understood and easy to take to heart and this is the message that is calling for supporters of Palestine to bully artists and cultural figures out of performing for Israeli audiences.

The calls to boycott continue, supported by some genuine activists and a lot more gullible and naïve human rights supporters who get sucked in by a simplistic call to act without a good understanding of the complexities involved.

You want to unleash your power as a human rights activist?
Go ahead and do so. But before you do, get informed and distrust easy answers and solutions because this conflict is anything but easy.
Because if you don’t you might find yourself to be a Pawn in the grand scheme of the Palestinians who want to destroy the State of Israel not live alongside it.

I have an Idea! let’s all bully the hell out of an artist so that he will do whatever we believe in, regardless of his own opinion!

I honestly believe that this is what goes through BDS followers’ minds when they go on an “operation stop a random artist from performing in Israel”.

Once again artists who are scheduled to perform in Israel are going through a virtual brutal and unrestrained attack which is basically just like holding a gun to their head forcing them to follow a belief who’s not theirs.

Operation stop Alanis Morissette from performing in the racist state of #Israel

This time, Alanis Morissette is the victim.
Morissette, a very loved artist in Israel since 1990’s, is due to play in Tel Aviv on December 3rd, and the show has been sold out for weeks now.
Well, everyone is pretty excited about it. That is, except the BDS movement activists who as usual are doing whatever they can to make Alanis either too scared or too confused to perform and by “whatever they can” I meancursing, threatening, bullying and abusing her official Twitter and Facebook accounts:

“Deaf, dumb and blind” Sweet

Apparently Morissette isn’t a REAL artist.

So here is just another thought for you Alanis:
you are welcomed here in Israel.
By deciding to perform you will join artists like Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns and roses, Cirque du Soleil and many others who chose tostay loyal to their fans in face of threats.Who separate arts from politics and truth from popular lies and misconceptions.Who truly believe in peace.

During and following the ‘Pillar of Defense’ operation in Gaza, the international media had Israel in flames. Ariel Zinger, an Israeli graphic designer made a new and more relevant version of his info graphic comparing the Syrian war with Pillar of defense alongside with a simple question: Is Syrian citizens blood cheaper?

Introducing: world hypocrisy

How come there was so much international intervention in a mere 8 days of war while not half of the resources spent on High-profile Gaza, was dedicated to heavily distressed Syria?

Its almost as if Anti Israeli activists online use the crisis in Syria as their own Image Bank.

Another fake photo has just been used by @Dylan, a very controversial Twitter user, who’s been compulsively using photos of dead Syrian people and claiming they were taken in Gaza while ‘Pillar of defense’ is taking place.
Here is a fresh baked lie right from a cynical user’s oven;

The unborn dead infant and his dead mother were killed in Homs, Syria on 04/09/2012.
I don’t think there’s any ground to believe they were ever in Gaza, certainly not now.

In the age of Internet and social networks, it’s really easy to connect to your “inner activist”.
once you find your ’cause’ you will pretty much do anything to push it to the center of attention – And you have all the tools you’ll need to do so effectively and for zero money.
Now, let’s say your cause is ‘the people of Gaza‘, and recently things got hot again between Gaza and South Israel, rockets are being fired and military actions are taking place.
obviously now will be the right time to promote your cause. obviously…but will you consider using a dead Syrian kid photo just to get the focus you need?

Some will.Abo Kazem Saad, a Gazan FB user posted this photo a few days ago, followed with a difficult, human and honest text about the people of Gaza. Naturally the photo got hundreds of shares.
Thing is, the dead kid has nothing to do with Gaza.

A brief research will easily show that the photo was taken in Syria, the two year-old kid was killed by the Syrian armed forces and has apparently never been to Gaza.

My thought: If you need to lie about your cause to get attention, there may be a problem- Either with you or with the definition of your cause…